LOS ANGELES - Is the white stuff in the Martian soil ice or salt? That's the question bedeviling scientists in the three weeks since the Phoenix lander began digging into Mars' north pole region to study whether the arctic could be habitable.
Shallow trenches excavated by the lander's backhoe-like robotic arm have turned up specks and at times even stripes of mysterious white material mixed in with the clumpy, reddish dirt.
Phoenix merged two previously dug trenches over the weekend into a single pit measuring a little over a foot long and 3 inches deep. The new trench was excavated at the edge of a polygon-shaped pattern in the ground that may have been formed by the seasonal melting of underground ice.
New photos showed the exposed bright substance present only in the top part of the trench, suggesting it's not uniform throughout the excavation site. Phoenix will take images of the trench dubbed "Dodo-Goldilocks" over the next few days to record any changes. If it's ice, scientists expect it to sublimate — or go from solid to gas, bypassing the liquid stage — when exposed to the sun because of the planet's frigid temperatures and low atmospheric pressure.
"We think it's ice. But again, until we can see it disappear ... we're not guaranteed yet," mission scientist Ray Arvidson of WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis said Monday.
Even if it's not ice, the discovery of salt would also be significant because it's normally formed when water evaporates in the soil.
Preliminary results from a bake-and-sniff experiment at low temperatures failed to turn up any trace of water or ice in the scoopful of soil that was delivered to the lander's test oven last week. Scientists planned to heat the soil again this week to up to 1,800 degrees, said William Boynton of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Phoenix landed in the Martian arctic plains on May 25 on a three-month, $420 million mission to study whether the polar environment could be favorable for primitive life to emerge. The lander's main job is to dig into an ice layer believed to exist a few inches from the surface.
The project is led by the University of Arizona and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The lander was built by Lockheed Martin Corp.
All-rounders Fawad Alam and Sohail Tanvir both struck half centuries Tuesday to rally Pakistan to 288 for nine off its 50 overs against Hong Kong in their opening group match at the Asia Cup.
The 20-year-old left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed's took four for 51 off 21 deliveries, reducing Pakistan to 161 for seven in the 30th over before Alam (63 not out) and Tanvir (59) joined to add 100 runs for the eighth wicket.
Alam was unbeaten in 77 balls while Tanvir holed out in the deep in an attempt to accelerate the scoring late in the innings.
Ahmed, who had played just one limited-overs match against Pakistan — at the 2004 Asia Cup, thrashed the experienced Pakistan middle order before Tanvir and Alam came to the rescue.
The Alam-Tanvir partnership broke the tournament record for an eight-wicket stand, surpassing the 52 by India's Ajay Jadeja and Ajit Agarkar against Pakistan in 2000.
Pakistan slumped quickly after captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to bat. Medium fast bowler Afzaal Haider found a big edge off opener Salman Butt's bat with his third delivery.
Younis Khan (67) and Malik (35) added 67 runs before the Pakistani captain was caught by Butt Hussain at point.
Ahmed began his surge when Mohammad Yousuf (28) top edged a sweep, and Khan was stumped after hitting eight fours and a six in his 65-ball stand.
Ahmed also trapped Misbah-ul-Haq (4) leg before wicket and then took a low return catch to dismiss Shahid Afridi (7).
India also is in Group B with Pakistan and Hong Kong. Two teams from the group advance to the Super Four Stage.
MTV caught up with Will.i.am, who revealed a bit more about his character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, coming to theaters on May 1, 2009.
"I'm a teleporter. ... I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere. Boom, boom, boom!" Will revealed. "My character's name is John Wraith. He's a black Texan. He's not a cowboy, but his gear suggests that he is. He's just a badass who'll whoop your ass."
Pakistan have named offspinner Saeed Ajmal in their 15-member squad for the Asia Cup, which starts on June 24.
Ajmal, 30, made a mark in the 2007-08 first-class season, taking 38 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 29. "Ajmal has impressed with his wicket-taking ability and can also bowl one which goes out like former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and we hope he does well in this tournament," chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said.
Pakistan didn't have a specialist spinner in their squad for the one-week long Kitply Cup, which they won after beating India in the final. Shahid Afridi and Fawad Alam were used by captain Shoaib Malik, who himself didn't bowl due to a sore shoulder. However, he will have more options for the Asia Cup with Ajmal and legspinning allrounder Mansoor Amjad in the team.
Kamran Akmal had been left out of Pakistan's list of 20 probables for the tournament, with the selectors opting to hand the wicketkeeping gloves to Sarfraz Ahmed. Akmal had been Pakistan's regular wicketkeeper since November 2004, when he took over from Moin Khan, playing virtually non-stop in all three formats. However, his inconsistency behind the stumps since the 2006 tour to England has finally cost him the place in the side.
Other players to be dropped from the squad for the Kitply Cup are batsmen Bazid Khan and Naumanullah and fast bowler Sohail Khan.
Pakistan play their opening game of the tournament on June 24, against Hong Kong in Karachi.
Jane McGrath, the wife of former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath, has died after complications resulting from a surgery. McGrath,42, had battled breast cancer and a brain tumour, and had also campaigned for cancer awareness, setting up the McGrath Foundation with her husband.
"It is with deep sadness that the family and friends of Jane McGrath, beloved wife of former Australian cricketer Glenn and loving mother of James and Holly, must announce she passed away at her home this morning," a statement issued by the McGrath Foundation said. "With Glenn and their two children by her side, Jane's wonderful life ended peacefully after a sudden decline in her health over the past week."
Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, paid tribute to McGrath while offering his condolences to the family. "Jane's courageous struggle touched all Australians," he said in statement. "Jane was an inspiration whose legacy will continue to benefit so many others."
James Sutherland, the CEO of Cricket Australia, also offered his condolences. "Jane was well-known, loved and admired throughout Australian cricket and was one of the most respected and admired members of the Australian cricket team family group during Glenn McGrath's playing days.
"All of us who met her were charmed by her dignity and good humour as she tackled her battle with her illness for more than 10 years," he said. "We also greatly respected the work she and Glenn did through their foundation, work which brought and will continue to bring tangible comfort to so many others."
If you Like the stuff present in my Blog, then please click on the advertisements that are present in the Blog... See, It takes some trouble digging out the articles and peculiar stuff, so feel free to credit me for that by clicking... ;) And Feel Free to use the Search Engine present on the Bottom for any queries...
